G5 Partner Featured on 60 Minutes

Paul Dotterer & Sons, Inc is a large Land O Lakes dairy farm in Pennsylvania.  Don’t let the name fool you; the farm is run by women.  Sisters Candice White and Amanda Condo were featured on 60 Minutes alongside Land O Lakes CEO Beth Ford this week.  The women explained the hardships faced by the dairy industry in recent years.  The cost of production is outweighing the profits from dairy products, leaving farmers in crippling financial situations.  What is the key to the long term survival of farmers?  According to Beth Ford, ag-tech could turn things around.

Utilizing tools like satellite images and predictive models, farmers can create color coded images of their fields.  Algorithms are run, and the images created correspond with how many crops each field will produce per season.  Samples are also taken to determine which nutrients parts of the fields are lacking.  A prescription is created for that specific field, and the planters plant according to the unique needs of different areas of the field to optimize production.

Other computers use facial recognition programs to monitor the cows daily for optimum weight and overall health.  They also wear “cow FitBits” that track each animal’s physical activity and eating habits.

They’re sophisticated, they’re innovative, they’re tech savvy, they’re farmers, and much of their complex skill goes unnoticed.  We’re proud to insure a farm run by forward-thinking, trailblazing women!  To view the full episode, visit https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-impeachment-debate-the-ranger-and-the-serial-killer-the-farmers-advocate/